Clinic marketing in Dubai: a content plan that passes the DHA rules

The rules in three sentences

Our DHA advertising guide covers the law. In short: the clinic account shows its MOHAP advertising licence number, the medical director approves anything that names the clinic, and before/after needs written consent and a disclaimer. Health is also a sector where ads need approval before publication.

This guide is about what to post inside those rules. The quotes below come from the DHA Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media, issue 1.1, effective 3 October 2022, revision due August 2027.

Doctor-led education: the format that fits

The DHA lists what clinic content may include. Appendix 1 marks as acceptable: a factual statement of services, contact details, the doctor's gender, office hours, fees and instalment plans, languages spoken, schools and qualifications, specialist registration, publications and public health information. Patients ask about the same things.

A monthly plan built on that list:

Titles and words

Standard 6.1 bars staff from using titles that differ from their DHA licence, and names examples such as Cosmetic Specialist, Aesthetician, Anti-Aging Specialist and Beauty Expert. Standard 6.2 reserves "Dr." for physicians, dentists and PhD holders. Write each doctor's title into your brand guide once and copy it from there.

Standard 6.11 bans absolute and exaggerated words, including: unique, one of a kind, the best, exclusive, safest, the only, incomparable, magic, miraculous, assured success, has no side effects, money back, 100% and immediate results. Appendix 1 also flags phrases such as "don't delay" and "achieve the look you want". Keep this list next to whoever writes captions.

Before/after done to standard

Before/after is allowed, but standard 9.6 sets more conditions than most clinics apply:

• Same person in both images, same lens, no Photoshop or similar edits.
• The statement "there is no guarantee that the result will be the same, as it might vary from one individual to another", plus the risks.
• That text in the same font size as the rest of the post.
• Written consent, limited to the purpose and period the patient agreed to (6.10).

Put the disclaimer on the image itself. A caption gets cut off when someone shares a screenshot.

Standard 9.7 bans filming or live streaming for promotion while a patient is in surgery, under general anaesthesia or in procedure rooms. Film consultations, preparation and results, not the procedure.

Google Maps for the clinic and each doctor

Patients search for a doctor by name as often as for a clinic. Google's Business Profile guidelines allow a separate profile for a public-facing practitioner who can be contacted at the verified location during stated hours. Where several doctors work at one location, the clinic keeps its own profile, and each doctor's profile title should include only the doctor's name, not the clinic's. One practitioner should not have several profiles for different specialties.

In both profiles, use the same licensed titles as on social media. Our guide to Google Business Profile in Dubai covers setup.

Reviews and testimonials

Two rule sets meet here. The DHA bans patient testimonials without written consent, so reposting a review or a WhatsApp thank-you as content needs a signed form. Google bans rewards for reviews and asking only satisfied patients, and treats reviews from staff as a conflict of interest.

A clean routine: one review request after every visit, sent to everyone, with no discount attached. Reply to reviews without confirming that the reviewer is a patient or mentioning their treatment, because standard 8.1.10 requires you to protect patient privacy on social media.

Booking through WhatsApp

Most clinic leads arrive on WhatsApp, so the booking flow is part of marketing. Two rules shape it:

• Health data stays in the UAE. Federal Law 2/2019, article 13, bars storing, processing or transferring health data from UAE health services outside the country unless a health authority decides otherwise. Use WhatsApp to agree a time; ask for symptoms, history and results inside your licensed clinical system.
• No unsolicited appointments. DHA Appendix 1 lists offering a patient "an unsolicited appointment time that has not been requested" as not acceptable. Reply to people who wrote to you; don't push slots to cold contacts.

Consent for marketing messages is covered in our WhatsApp marketing guide. Savage Sales, our AI assistant, answers booking requests in 30 seconds and hands hot leads to your administrator. Special offer: AED 3,999 a month.

Influencers under the clinic's responsibility

Standard 5.5 makes the clinic liable for everything filmed on its premises, including influencer posts on personal accounts, and 5.3 requires the medical director to approve any post that names the clinic. The influencer needs an NMA Advertiser Permit; see our Advertiser Permit guide. Standard 6.7 adds that any financial or material benefit behind a promotion must be documented and disclosed.

A workable contract for an influencer visit includes: the permit number, a script reviewed by the medical director, no outcome claims, the patient consent form if the influencer is treated, and the right for the clinic to approve the final cut before it goes live.

Where sources stop

In August 2025 the DHA issued a circular on medical advertising on social media (reference 1451). Its text is in Arabic and we have not verified its details. Check the DHA Sheryan circulars portal for updates. MOHAP's approval guidelines add e-deal disclaimers and an Arabic translation for ad text.

What Savage Media does for clinics

Prices from our clinic video marketing page:

We send the month's scripts to your medical director as one batch and shoot only what comes back approved.